A Romp in the Park

Winter can't keep Nik down.  She loves the snow and loves to hike, so off to Balmer Park we go! Beyond the playground are the woods and bare cornfields, where her nose will be on the trail of deer and rabbits, and other critters.

The Saving of a Landmark

This informative plaque outlines the story of how Granddad's Bluff in La Crosse was originally utilized as a quarry location in the mid-1800's and then saved from complete destruction by a group of area founders and businessmen in the early 1900's. Thank goodness for community activism!

Gimme Shelter

Above is the remodeled shelter house on top of Granddad's Bluff in La Crosse at sunset. Below is the view of the fenced path that goes to the lower look out.  From this vantage point you can see up and down the Mississippi River valley, including areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The last image is looking back up at the shelter from the lower level.

I'll post a few more panoramic sunset views tomorrow.

Wild Cucumber

While hiking around Balmer Park just east of here, Nik and I stumbled upon an unusual vine weaving itself through the shrubs. The leaves were so pretty and bright green, almost like a Sycamore. But then I saw the itty-bitty spiky fruit hanging here and there, and realized they were wild cucumbers. I had never seen these before because they don't bear fruit until fall and usually I'm not looking for that sort of thing. Plus this little guy was camouflaged among the wild grape vines.

According to Wikipedia, they are not edible, but with those little spikes, not sure I'd even want to try!

Mushroom Tree

A moss covered tree trunk full of mini-shelf mushrooms on a trail at Lapham Peak in Waukesha County.

Nose to the wind!

Harriet, our daughter's 2-year old 'CockaPoo,' enjoys a car ride to the local dog park. You can't quite tell from this photo, but her eyes are squeezed shut as she enjoys the brisk breeze (with all its wonderful spring smells!) in her face.

Dashing Through the Snow

I love the contrast that Kate's puppy, Harriet, makes against the white snow. Last weekend she had her first romp off-leash at the dog park in Hartland. After an hour of running, sniffing, chasing snowballs, and digging for mice, she was exhausted and more than a little damp! See her wrapped in a towel (below) on Kate's lap during the drive home.

Granddad's Bluff

I visited some family members in La Crosse, WI, this past weekend. Granddad's Bluff, which towers 590 feet above the city, is one of the area's main natural attractions. The photo above shows the point from the city below. Bliss Road, which winds all the way to the top of Granddad's, was shut down several years ago due to structural flaws and crumbling of the rocks under the road. After lots of political debate, it was eventually repaired and reopened this year. I was excited to finally go back up to the top during my visit.

The view below shows a retaining fence, which supposedly keeps people from getting too close to the edge. The bluffs are made of sandstone and chert, which are soft and unstable rocks. But, naturally, there are always those daring souls who walk around it and try to get to the look-out area below. Sadly, a young high school girl recently slipped to her death from here, hence all the flowers and memorials tied to the fence.

Still, it is a beautiful view. The houses in the lower left are part of the city of La Crosse. The forested area and the marsh beyond is Myrick Park (where I took these eagle shots last spring.) The expanse moves into north La Crosse and neighboring Onalaska. The bluffs in the distance are on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi. I hope to post a few more photos of the area in the days ahead.

SkyWatch Friday: Treetop Clouds

With the recent time change, it's dark by the time I get home after work during the week - so I can only take late afternoon walks on the weekends. This is a view of the early evening sky behind the tall ash, aspen, and maple trees at Balmer Park.

You can see all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

Cat Tails

These cat tails surround the boardwalk at the Simmons Woods marsh area in Pewaukee.

Signs of Autumn

As evidenced by the crimson leaves on this tree, fall has arrived early this year around this part of the Midwest.

The Look-Out Tree

There is a boardwalk in Simmon's Woods Park in the city of Pewaukee that meanders throughout the Pewaukee River watershed. It's a lovely, marshy eco-spot that provides lots of shelter and food for birds and other wildlife, among them herons, hawks, and owls. This ancient look-out tree provides a great view of the surrounding area and the river below. A great spot for birds of all sizes to hunt everything from waterbugs & mosquito nymphs to tadpoles, frogs, and minnows.

Horton Hears a Who

While in La Crosse a few weeks ago, there was a sand sculpture contest in Riverside Park open to local artists. The theme was "Going to the Movies." There were quite a few inspired entries, from the Wizard of Oz to Jaws to John Wayne westerns. But my favorite was this sweet rendition of Dr. Seuss' Horton.

The Eagle Has Landed

This statue of a majestic eagle graces Riverside Park in downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin. We never saw eagles in that area while growing up in the 60's and 70's, but they started to make a come back in the late 80's. Now they can be seen soaring along the Mississippi River between the bluffs of both Wisconsin and Minnesota all times of the year. [Visit one of my earlier posts of an eagle doing some "ice" fishing...]

Up the Lazy River

The La Crosse River meanders behind the International Friendship Gardens in La Crosse's Riverside Park and empties into the mighty Mississippi just around the bend (below.) That's an abandoned railroad trestle in the distance

You can almost imagine Huck Finn floating on raft under the canopy of these giant cottonwood trees, escaping the heat of the noon-day sun...

International Friendship Gardens: Waterlily

I took quite a few pictures while we were in La Crosse last weekend and so will try to post some here and there during the coming week. There is an international friendship garden right next to Riverside Park which includes several paths that meander around a variety of plants and garden styles, along with a pretty gazebo. This small pond was host to some waterlilies, cattails, and some very large koi (goldfish).

Taste of Lake Country

The park at Pewaukee Lake hosted their annual "Taste of Lake Country" this past weekend. The unpredictable weather kept many people at bay (see skies in the photos) - but during our visit, it thankfully stayed dry.

These happy people were glad to offer refreshments at the "Positively Pewaukee Pub" - and the plate of freshly spiral cut potato chips from the Butler Inn were delish along with a few of Milwaukee's finest.

We sat at a table on the beach and watched the swimmers and boaters enjoy the evening.

Scoff-Law

I think the picture says it all. Oh, the dejection!....perhaps this is where the expression "hang-dog" look comes from?

Nik and I often walk up to Balmer Park, and if no one is around, we'll stroll the perimeter. The majority of space is given to playground equipment, tennis & basketball courts, a soccer field, and a softball field, but we avoid those areas and stick next to the woods along the road. (And I am very diligent about picking up after her.) After all, as she says, dogs are people, too.

Meet Mr. Puffball

We've had a lot of rain followed by hot, humid weather and so have been inundated with a variety of mushrooms in the area. But none so wonderful as the one in the photo I took a few years back of a giant puffball mushroom in the woods near Balmer Park. I couldn't resist giving him some shades. :-)

Another one was of this wonderfully twisted toadstool growing out of a dead branch in our tree line. Looks like something right out of Alice in Wonderland!

Dog-Walkin'

In keeping with June's theme of "feet"...

During a hike back in April, I was trying to find something that would suggest spring. Subject matter was hard to find as, even though the sun was out, it was still rather brown and gray all around the park. For lack of anything better, I decided to get a few shots of Nik - and in doing so, got my shadow and my foot in the picture!